Basic Commercial Fishing Regulations - Gulf States Marine ...

“Marine life” Regulations (Tropical/Ornamentals) more information on page 23
Marine life – Fish*
Species Remarks/Bag limits ■ Size limits (total length unless otherwise noted)
Angelfish▲
75 per person per day or 150 per vessel per day,
whichever is less
Gray, French Angelfish: 1 1/2 -8” slot limit
Blue, Queen Angelfish: 1 3/4 -8” slot limit
Rock Beauty: 2-5” slot limit
Butterflyfish▲ 50 per day/100 per vessel** 1-4” slot limit
Filefish▲/Triggerfish▲ Except Gray and Ocean Triggerfish
Gobies▲ Maximum size limit: 2”
Hamlets▲/Seabasses▲ Except reef fish† and Longtail Bass
Jawfish▲ Maximum size limit: 4”
Parrotfish▲ Maximum size limit: 12”
Porkfish 75 per day/150 per vessel** Minimum size limit: 1 1/2”
Pufferfish▲, Burrfish▲, Includes Sharpnose Pufferfish, Striped Burrfish,
Balloonfish▲, Porcupinefish▲ Spotted Burrfish, Balloonfish, Porcupinefish
Seahorses▲
400 dwarf seahorses per person or per vessel per day,
whichever is less
Tangs▲ and Surgeonfish▲ Maximum size limit (fork length): 9”
Wrasse▲/Hogfish▲/Razorfish Except Hogfish snapper; Spanish, Cuban Hogfish: 50
of each per day/100 total combined per vessel**
Spanish Hogfish: 2-8” slot limit
Cuban Hogfish: 3-8” slot limit
Basic Commercial Fishing Regulations
Marine life - invertebrates
Species
Remarks/Bag limits ■
Anemones
Giant Caribbean anemone (Condylactis spp): 200 per day/400 per vessel***; Corallimorphs: 100 per day/200 per vessel**;
Zoanthids: 1 gallon per day/2 gallons per vessel**; Corallimorphs and Zoanthids: must be harvested with a flexible blade no
wider than 2”. Corallimorphs harvested as single polyps only.
Corals, Hard (Stony) Harvest prohibited
Corals, Soft (Octocorals) Harvest of attached substrate within 1” of octocoral base is permitted; harvest closes in response to federal octocoral
closures
Crab, Emerald (Green Clinging) 400 per person or per vessel per day, whichever is less
Crab, Hermit
Except Land Hermit Crabs; Scarlet reef hermit (Paguristes cadenati): 1 quart per day/2 quarts per vessel**; Blue-legged/
tricolor hermit crabs (Clibanarius tricolor): 1 quart per day/per vessel, whichever is less
Live Rock
Aquaculture only; live rock lease and/or state and/or federal permits required
Octopods
Except Common Octopus
Sea Fans
Harvest of Venus Sea Fan and Common (Purple) Sea Fan prohibited
Siphonophores/Hydroids Harvest of Fire Coral prohibited
Sponges
Except Sheepswool, Yellow, Grass, Glove, Finger, Wire, Reef, and Velvet Sponges; harvest of substrate within 1” of base
permitted north and west of the southernmost point of Egmont Key, no substrate allowed south of Egmont Key
Starfish
Harvest of Bahama Starfish (Cushion Sea Star) prohibited
Starsnails (Lithopoma One gallon per day/ 2 gallons per vessel**
americanum, Lithompoma
tectum, Astralium phoebium)
Urchins
Except Sand Dollars & Sea Biscuits; harvest of Longspine Urchin prohibited
*MLD or MLN required for use and possession of quinaldine used to harvest
tropical fish (Special Activity License also required).
■ MLB endorsement holders using gears other than those listed in 68B-42.007
F.A.C.: 20 total marine life finfish per day.
▲Collection prohibited in John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. See Chapter
68B-5 F.A.C. for other prohibited species including Bigeyes, Bonnetmouths, Congers,
Dragonets, Goatfishes, Muraenesocids, Pikeblennies, Sand Stargazers, Scorpionfish,
Sea chubs, False Morays, Soles, Spaghetti Eels, Squirrelfishes, Stargazers,
Threadfins, and Tonguefishes. Collection of most fish species less than 8 inches
total length is prohibited within John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park unless a
minimum size limit is otherwise established by rule or law.
**Bag limit is per unique SPL number with a marine life endorsement; vessel
possession limit is per vessel with two or more unique SPL numbers with marine life
endorsements aboard.
†Such as groupers, snappers, sea bass, and amberjacks. Must abide by
regulations for these species on page 8-9.
***Bag limit is per unique SPL number with unique marine life endorsement;
vessel possession limit is per vessel with two or more unique SPL numbers with
unique marine life endorsements aboard.
Other Marine life fish include*■: Basslets▲, Batfish▲, Blackbar
Soldierfish▲, Blennies▲, Brotulas (Black and Key), Cardinalfish▲, Clingfish▲,
Cornetfish▲, Damselfish▲, Eels (Moray and Snake) ▲, Frogfish▲, Hawkfish▲,
High-hat▲/Jackknife-fish▲/Spotted Drum▲/Cubbyu▲, Pipefish▲, Reef
Croakers▲, Sleepers, Yellow Stingray, Sweepers▲, Toadfish▲, Trumpetfish▲, and
Trunkfish▲/Cowfish▲
Other Marine life invertebrates include: Brittlestars, Decorator (Furcate Spider)
Crab, False Arrow Crab, Nimble Spray (Urchin) Crab, Red Mithrax Crab,
Red Ridged Clinging Crab, Spotted Porcelain Crab, Yellowline Arrow Crab, Fileclams,
Upside-down Jellyfish, Nudibranchs/Sea Slugs, Sea Cucumbers, Sea Lilies,
Cleaner/Peppermint Shrimp, Coral Shrimp, Snapping Shrimp, Nassarius Snails,
Featherduster Worms, and Calcareous Tube Worms.
Marine life plants include: Coralline red algae, Caulerpa, Halimeda/Mermaid’s
Fan/Mermaid’s Shaving Brush
15
39